Pasadena
Stunning architecture, glorious gardens and a world-famous parade
SUNNY, TEMPERATE PASADENA abuts the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains just 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The flower-bedecked Tournament of Roses Parade and the UCLA Bruins’ games in the Rose Bowl (which also hosts a popular flea market on the second Sunday of every month) are its most famous attractions, but there’s much more to explore.
You can easily spend a full day at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens. Boojum trees and towering cardon cacti rise beside flowering succulents in the Desert Garden, while the Rose Garden Tea Room offers lunch, pastries and Earl Grey. The Norton Simon Museum displays artworks from van Gogh and Picasso, and the 1917 Pasadena Playhouse, the official State Theatre of California, presents Broadway-bound plays. Other attractions blend into the cityscape.
Architectural Highlights
Pasadena boasts several architectural gems, including the Italian Renaissance Wrigley Mansion (also referred to as the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Headquarters) on Millionaire’s Row, a stretch of Orange Grove Boulevard lined with opulent homes from the early 20th century. Some residents chose to build Swiss chalets or French chateaus, while others preferred the burgeoning American Arts & Crafts style best represented in the stately Gamble House. The 1908 home, designed by Henry and Charles Greene, is open to the public for docent-led tours and is filled with gorgeous wooden furnishings and built-in details. Pasadena has such a large selection of the artistic bungalows it hosts a Craftsman Week every November. Other architectural highlights include the graceful curvilinear Colorado Street Bridge across the Arroyo Seco, and the Mediterranean-style Pasadena City Hall, a vision of domes, towers and archways.
Vibrant Neighborhoods
Walking is a favorite mode of transportation in Pasadena’s 16 historic districts. In some areas, tree-lined sidewalks edge family homes in architectural standouts, while other areas bustle with diversions. Restaurants abound in Julia Child’s birth city, where there are 650 more dining establishments per capita than in New York City, and there are plenty of places to linger over a drink or meal while checking out the local scene. Old Pasadena draws foodies and shoppers to a 22-block district packed with galleries, clubs, boutiques and eateries. Commerce rules South Lake Avenue with businesses for all interests, from department stores to nail salons to dining enclaves interspersed by sculptures, statues and murals. The Playhouse District, named for the Spanish-moorish theater, has an artistic flair, with bookstores, museums and wine bars.